William humphreys



inith tetrs stmt `tfira IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR BLOGKING STRE'I'CHIN G HT-BODIES.

@In Srlgehule referat tu in tigen tetisrs nteni mit mating putt nt tige simu.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, WILLIAM HUMPREYS, Jr., of Cold Spring, in the county ofPutnam, and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Machine for Stretching Hat-Bodies; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a sectional view of the machine showing the shape and position of hat before the stretching begins. The hat is shown in red.

Figure 2 is a side view of the machine.

Figure 3 is a back view of the machine with the stand g and weighted lever z removed.

Figure 4 is a top view of the machine with'some of its parts shown in section.

Figure 5 is a top View of cap-piece marked D.

Figure 6 isa section showing the shape of the hat wher? stretched, and the position ofthe levers and parts of the machine that are directly connected with' the stretching.

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the cap-piece D. v w

In some of the views given on drawing, it will be observed that au tue parts ot' theV machine are not shown that are seen to exist in other views. It will also be seen that some of the parts are not in their true position; as in the case of'iigs. l and li, the levers F Gr and rods H are one twenty-fourth of the circumference out of their proper place. The object of this is to avoid confusion and to allow the essential and important parts to be seen, that the principle of the machine may be easily understood.

Similar letters of reference in all the views indicate corresponding parts. s

The principal object of this invention isto stretch wool, fur, or other hats, into the desired shape andsize before they are blocked, that they may retairli their shape when worn, and also to overcome the diliculty that exists in stretching or breaking down the tip, so as to prevent the centre ot`the crown from rising or running to seed,as termed by hatters, which is caused by there being' too much material or afullness in and around the centre ot' the crown, that part not having been properly stretched.

The invention consists, iirst, of a. cap-piece for the inside of the hat, so made as to come in contact with the hat at that part of the body next to the brim, in combination with a cylindrical cap-piece that drops over the outside of the hat and comes in Contact with the hat at the same part on the outside as the inner cap-piece does on the inside, thus securing theV hat firmly in its position, thereby preventing its slipping while being stretched; second, in arranging a series of levers, Working on half journals, and connected to the inner cap piece, thereby bringing the centre of motion as near as practicable to the ybreaking point of the brim next toi the body ofthe hat, in combination with the ieversior fingers and springs for holding the edge of the brim while the brim is being stretched; third, in the arrangement of a. series of'adjustable pieces, connected to the cylin` drical cap-piece, dropping over the outside of' the hat, andcoming between the series of levers, for the purpose of increasing the stretching ofthe brim, so that the brim will retain its proper shape when taken olf themaclline; fourth, in the arrangement ot' a series of levers or fingers, connected to the inner cap-piece, in combination with the circular wedge-piece and its connections, for the purpose of stretching the body and crown of the hat; fifth, in the arrangement for raising and lowering the cylindrical cap-piece, and the adjustable pieces connected to it, at the proper time, and also the manner that it is held position when down and when up; sixth, the arrangementl for preventing the falling, by accident, ot' the cylindrical'cap-piece and its connections, by the machine not'. stopping at the proper time, or by starting too soon.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, l will proceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to the drawings. Y

A is a cast-iron bed-piece. B are two cast-iron uprignts Iorguidingcylindrical shell E and its attachments. C, a wrought-iron column, whose lower end isirmly secured to bed-piece A. D is a brass base-plate, secured to the frame by the column C, for the purpose of` supporting the hat, and for attaching a series of levers, markedA F, on the under side, also for connecting a series of levers or lingers, marked on the top side. En; cylin drical cap-piece for securing the hat at the proper place., against the face or circumference of the cap-piece D, to vprevent the hat from slipping while it is being stretched. A'series of' arms is cast on the cylindrical eappiece Eifor the purpose of attaching the adjustable pieces marked O. Two of the' arms are lengthened, so as to form a connection with the rods markedZ Z', F is a series of wrought-iron levers, which are worked on halfjournals on the cap-piece l), the lower end having one or more holes for attaching. the levers or clamps G, as maybe required for the diferent widths of brims. G is aseries ot' levers or ngers,connected to the levers F with pins, for the purpose of closing upon the edge of the brim and clamping it firmly against the levers F, preventing the brim from slipping while itis being stretched. H, a series of wrought-iron rods, con necting the levers or fingers Gr with the circular plate I'. I, a cast-iron circular plate, to which the series ofvrods marked H is connected by pins. A groove is turned in on the under side for receiving the forked end of the lever marked P. .l is a sleeve having the rods L attached, which connect with the circular wedge-piece M. K is a sleeve,.screwed on to the sleeve J, for adjusting the length of the upward movement of the wedge-piece M, for the purpose of forcing the levers or 'fingers N out to any desired size. Il, three wrought-iron rods, connecting the sleeve J and wedge-piece M together. M, a circular wedge-piece of metal-for forcing out the levers or fingers N. N, a series of levers or fingers for stretching the body and breaking down the'tip of the hat for forming the crown. O,'a series of cast-iron pieces that are connected to the cylindrical Vcap-piece E, which are adjustable by mea-ns of screw-rods, u u, and descend between the levers F for the purpose of stretching the brim. P, a wrought-iron lever with a forked end, for communicating motion to the plate I and its connections. Q, a cast-iron stand for supporting the -end of lever P. R, a wrought-iron shaft and crank for giving motion to the lever P. The crank has a slot in which the crank-pin can be adjusted to give the necessary motion to the lever P. S, a cast-iron stand for shaft R, also for the driving-shaft V. T, a worm-wheel keyed on shaft R for the purpose of revolving the shaft U, a cast-iron wheel keyed on shaft R, having two pins, 'm and n.' m is for raising the cylindrical cap-piece E, with the adjustable pieces O, at the proper time. The pin n is for shifting the belt from the fast to the loose pulley at the proper time. V, a wrought-iron driving-shat`t, having a screw to work in the worm-wheel T. W, a wrought-iron shaft on which the levers 4Y and lever a are secured. X, two cast-iron stands supporting shaft W. Y, two wrought-iron levers connected to the rods Z Z', for raising and lowering the cylindrical cap-piece E and its attachments at the proper time. Z Z', two wrought-iron rods, connecting levers lY and cylindrical cap-piece E together. a, a wrought-iron lever, having the rods d and c connected to it. b, a wrought-iron stay-bolt for holding the upright pieces B in their proper position. c, a wroughtiron rod, one end connected by a pin to the lever a,- the other having'a hook in which the pin'm comes in at 'the proper time and leaves at the proper time. d, a wrought-iron rod connected to the lever a by a pin, the other end-running in a groove in wheel U, and dropping in that part of the circumference which is cut out just a moment before the pin m leaves the hook of rod c. e, a wrought-iron hand-lever, for starting the machine by shifting the belt from the loose to the fast pulley. f, a wrought-iron rod connecting hand-lever to the weighted lever L. g, an iron stand for supporting the lever and ball h. 71, a lever and ball for shifting belt. z', a series of steel springs for closing the levers or fingers G at the beginn-ing of the upward movement of plate I, thus holding the edge of the brim until the strain of stretching the hat is suiiicient to'resist the upward movement to that extent as to cause the fingers to pinch or hold the edge rm, so as to prevent any slipping of the brim of the hat. j, two catches, one for each rod Z Z', for the purpose of preventing the cylindrical cap-piece E and the adjustable pieces O from rising while stretching the hat. c, two steel springs for throwing in catches j. l, two pulleys, one secured to the shaft, the other loose. lm, pin on wheelA U, for catching in the hook of rod c for the purpose of raising the cylindrical cap-piece E and its connections at the proper time. n, pin on wheel U, 'for the purpose of -throwing the lev-er and ball L past the perpendicular, thereby shifting the belt and stopping the machine at the proper time. o, a projection on rod Z. p, two prongs on rodf for moving the belt. g, a projection on rod f, against which the pin n strikes at the proper time, and causes thc weighted lever to pass the perpendicular,thereby changing the belt 'and stopping the machine. i r, two pins, to prevent the catches j from being thrown over by the springs c when the levers Y and rods Z Z are moved up. s, a. centre on which the hand-lever e moves. t, a projection on lever e for the purpose of catching und'cr the projection o on rod Z. u, eye-bolts with nuts, for adjusting and holding in place the pieces marked O, as may be required. i

.The llfmmer of lVoTcz'ug the llacht'ne.

The cylindrical cap-piece E, with the adjustable pieces O, are moved up to the top of the guides in standards B, by the pin m on wheel U coming into the hook on the end of the rod c, and carrying it around until the under side of the rod c comes in contact with the shaft R. At that point the machine stops, the pin n on wheel U having already come in contact with the projection on rodf at g, causing the weighted lever Lto pass its perpendicular, thereby changing the belt from the fast to the loose pulley, also bringing the hand-lever e in such a position that the projection t on lever is brought under the projection o on rod Z when it is raised to its highest point. rlhe object of these projections on lever e and rod Z is to prevent the falling, by accident, the cylindrical cap-piece E and its attachments, bythe machine not stopping at the right moment or by its starting too soon. This part of the operation, as shown on drawing, is a little in advance ot' their proper position in rel'ation to the other parts of the machine. It is to be understood that the-machineis stopped; that the cylindrical cap-piece E, with the adjustable pieces 0, are at the top ofthe guides in standards B; that the ends of the levers Y have tripped the catches 7' and carried the rods Z Z up to their highest position; also, that the rod c is hooked on pin m; that the pin-m, with the wheel U, is a little buck on the circumference of its travel, so that the under side of the rod c is in contact with the shaft R; also, that the rod LZ has not dropped into that part of the circumference of the wheel U that is cut for its reception. It is also to be borne in mind that the.

weighted lever h has been carried past its perpendicular by the pin fn, and that the belt is on the loose pulley,

the projection t on lever e is under the projection o on rod Z. The other parts of the machine being in 'their proper position, asjshown Aon the drawing. it'is readv for stretching a hat. The levers` and the levers or lingers G, with the cap-piece D, form a frustum of a cone, similar in shape to a hat before stretching. The hat 'is dropped on, as shown on iig. l, (in redi) vthe hand-lever e is pulled into the position shown on iig. 2; the belt `is brought on to the fast pulley, andthe machine starts; the crank R begins to revolve in the direction shown by an arrow; the lever P rises and lifts the circular plate I with the rods H, causing the levers or fingers G to close .upon theedge of the brim of the hat against the edge of the levers F. At that moment the cylinder cap-piece E, with the adjustable pieces O, has been brought down to the position shown in iig. 1, which is done in the following manner: The machine being started, the wheel U begins to revolve; the rode having come in contact with the shaft R, can go no further; the pin m moves out of the hook, and the rod c is drawn back to the position shown in iig. 2. By the 'weight of the cylindrical cap-piece E-a-nd its attachments, the rod d-falls into its place, as shown on fig. 2, just before the rod c becomes disconnected from the pin m, for the purpose of preventing a too rapid falling of the cylindrical cap-piece E with its connections. The weight of these parts in coming down throws the catchesj until thelower ends of the rods Z Z are in their'lowest position; then the springs throw the catchesj in the position shown on tig. 2. rlhe lever l? continues its upward movement, causing the levers F to move up to a horizontal position, as shown on fig. 6. That part. of the brim that lies between the levers F comes in contact with the adjustable pieces OV before the levers F 'reach their horizontal position, as shown in iig. 6, thereby causing the brim of the hat to' stretchnround the under side of the pieces O.V '.llhe brim is also stretched by the levers F in moving up to their horizontal position. The ends of these levers are farther apart in their horizontal position than when they are in their lowest position. The levers or ngers Gr hold the edge of the brim secure, froml the fact that the resistance arising from the stretching requires u. greaterv resistance tb move the levers up, and this being vtransmitted by the rods I-I to the end of levers or iingers Gr, causing the other ends to press harder' against the edgeof the brim and levers F, thus holding it firm and secure; and as the circumference of the brimincreases. by the upward movement of the levers, the brim is strainerdor stretched in the direction from the centre to the circumference; and when in contact with the adjustable pieces O it is stretched in the direction of its circumference. The adjustable pieces O are lowered 'clown for heavy hats, and are raised up for light hats, by the bolts and nuts marked u.I The inner or outer end may be raised or lowered, as maybe 'required for stretching. On the inner `circumference of the brim, next the body of the hat, there will be a sufficient band formed by the lower edge of the cylindrical cap-piece E, in connection with the inner ends of thc pieces O and levers F, that wool hats will not require any further banding or blocking before they are put on the nishingblock for inishing. In the upward movement of the circular plate I it comes in Contact with thelower end of sleeve K; and as its upward movement continuos, it forces the sleeves K J, rods L, and the circular wedge-piece M, up to the position shown in g. 6, thereby forcingv the levers or ngers N apart, which stretch the body andy top of the'hat, as shown in red `in iig. 6. At this point of the operation the hat is stretched; the crank R is moved round to its upper position, and as it moves on to its lower position the lever P moves down, bringing the circular plate I and'its connections with it; the

circular wedge moves down; the levers or tin'gers N are thrown into their position, shown in iig. 1, by the` pressure of the hat. Then the circular plate I has moved down so as to leave the sleeve K, the pin m comes into the hook on rod c and carries it along, thus moving the shaft W and levers Y and a, the levers Y having a slot in the end of suilicient Vlength to give the necessaryr motion for tripping the catches Before lifting the.

rods Z Z and the parts connected thereto, the cylindrical shell and its attachments are raised to their highest position, and reach it at the moment the crank R arrives at the point shown in tig. 2. The machine at this point is stopped by the pin fn. having struck against the projection q on rodf, thus throwing the belt from the fast to the loose pulley. The levers F, having reached the position shown in iig. l, cannot go farther down, they being held in thisw position by the upper end coming in contact with the cap-piece D. The circular plate I, not being quite down to its lowest position, causesthe levers or fingers G to open, as shown on iig. 1, when completely flown. The hat is then taken olf, and another one is dropped on; the hand-lever e is again brought Ainto the position shown in fig. 2; the machine starts again and stretches another hat, thus stretching all uniform and alike.

The fulcra of the leversF should be placed as near as practicable to the breaking point of the brim, so

-that the centre of motion of the levers shall be the point ofibrealting the brim. To accomplish this I uselialf journals, as seen in fig. 1, by which I am enabled to carry the centre of motion much nearer to the-edge of the base-plate D, or breaking point, than would be the case if ordinary or whole journals were used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A series of stretchers O, in combination with the levers F, for the purpose of overstretching the brim, substantially as described.

'2. Mal-:ing the said stretchers adjustable vertically, so as to regulate the extent of stretching, substantially as described.

f5. '.lhe combination of a series of levers F, hinged to the base-plate D, springs i, and levers or clamps G, rods H, and plate I, constructed and operating substantially as described.

4i. The sleeve J, which carries, by means-of its connections, the wedge M, for operating the levers N, made adjustable in a vertical direction, substantially as set forth. Y

:3. A series of levers N, hinged to the stationary base-plate D, in combination with the circular wedge M, adjustable sleeve J and its connections, arranged and operating substantially as described.

G. The combination of rods Z Z', catches j, springs k, pins fr, slotted levers Y, and shaft WV, arranged to operate the cylindrical'cap-piece E, substantially as described.

7. In combination therewith, the lever a, rods Z and c, wheel U, and its pin m, for governing the operation of the same, substantially as described.

8. The arrangement of the hand-lever c with the projection t and stop o on the rod Z, ir. combination ivith the tznppet arrangement of the pin n on wheel U, :1nd the projection f y on rodf, constructed and olieruting Substantially as set forth. Y

9. The bose-plate D, to which are hinged the levers F, in combination with t'ne cylindrical cap-piece E, carrying the brim-stretchers O, the whole arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forfli, 10. The lever lF, having its journal arranged to operate with base-plate D, substantially as dcscribednnd for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM HUMPHREYS, JR.

Titnesses Ff RUMrr, DAVID WORDEN. 

